Chapter 758

Chapter 758: Returning to the Academy

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

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When Wei Changfeng had executed a battle technique against him, Zhang Xuan had already compiled a book on him via the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Initially, he harbored great disdain for the other party for the vile deeds he had done, but after learning of the reason behind his actions, he couldn’t help but feel a little pity for him.

It wasn’t that Wei Changfeng was a person with insatiable greed, but that he needed those to save a life.

“Regardless of how I know, I can tell you this. As long as you serve me well, I will help you save her. Even if it is beyond my means, I will do my best to find someone who possesses the ability to do so!” Zhang Xuan said.

“Y-you…” Wei Changfeng’s body trembled.

The other party was right. The reason he had opened the Spirit Emporium and gathered all kinds of artifacts in it despite risking making a lot of enemies was all so to treat his severely ill daughter.

His daughter’s vitals had been wounded when she was still a fetus, resulting in her innate frailty from birth. He had sought many famous physicians, but there were none who could offer him a solution. In the end, it was a 6-star pinnacle physician who had given him a prescription and told him that he could lengthen the lifespan of his daughter by feeding her the spirit contained within artifacts.

It was through this matter that his daughter had lasted the past few years.

However, this only alleviated her condition temporary, and its effectiveness was wearing thin. If a cure couldn’t be found soon, she wouldn’t have long to live.

However, this issue was only known amongst the Saints in Hongyuan City. How did he learn of it?

“If the young master can really save my daughter, I will do anything to repay the favor, even if it means braving through hell!” Recalling the various incredible means of the young man before him, Wei Changfeng couldn’t help but have his hopes lifted. He immediately kneeled to the floor and bowed.

“I don’t need you to brave through hell for me. As long as you serve me well, you will be well rewarded!” Zhang Xuan said as he took out a wine gourd and passed it over. “Drink it!”

“Yes!” Even though Wei Changfeng was surprised by the abrupt gesture, he didn’t dare to disobey the other party’s words. Thus, he pried open the lid and gulped down the wine.

Gugugugu!

As the fine wine entered his body, he immediately felt a warm surge of energy flowing through his veins. At a pace visible to the eye, the injuries he had sustained from the puppets healed, and before long, he had already made a full recovery.

“This is… Saint recovery medicine?” Wei Changfeng narrowed his eyes.

Despite being a Saint realm expert and the head of the Spirit Emporium, he had never seen a Saint recovery medicine with effects as pronounced as this.

For his wounds to heal immediately after drinking it… Perhaps, the young master might just be able to save his daughter’s life!

“Let’s clear up this mess first!” Zhang Xuan said.

If he wanted to win the absolute loyalty of his subordinates, he would have to strike a balance between the carrot and stick. After forcing the other party in submission, it was only right to give him some benefits so as to give him some expectations for the future.

Otherwise, even if Zhang Xuan held his soul hostage, if the other party’s heart wasn’t with him, that would be no different from carrying a ticking time bomb around with him.

“Yes!” Knowing that it was impossible for the young master to save his daughter considering that he had yet to achieve anything for the other party, Wei Changfeng didn’t pursue the matter.

Jiya!

The mechanisms rumbled, the wall isolating the duo slowly vanished, and Sun Qiang and the others came into sight.

“Boss!”

The guards rushed forward anxiously, but upon seeing that Zhang Xuan was still alive and kicking, the guards encircled him and drew their weapons.

“Insolent!” Wei Changfeng leaped in fright upon seeing that sight. “From today onward, he shall be my young master, so you must address him as young master as well. You must treat him with even more respect with me, and anyone who defies this order will be killed. There will be no chances given!”

“Young master?” The guards were taken aback.

Did the boss hit his head somewhere?

The other party had just wreaked havoc in his territory, and he was ordering them to address the culprit as ‘young master’?

But despite their bewilderment, they knew that the boss wasn’t kidding given the grim expression on his face. Thus, they lowered their heads and clasped their fists. “Paying respect to the young master!”

“This…”

The cultivators watching the spectacle from the side were stunned speechless.

They’d thought that it was incredible of that young man to make all of those artifacts and even the Spirit Emporium acknowledge him as their master… But to think that he would even tame the Saint realm boss of the Spirit Emporium!

Could there be anything more exaggerated than this?

“Young Master…” Sun Qiang’s lips twitched.

He was still worried that some mishap would befall on the young master… But from the looks of it now, his worries were unfounded.

To tame a Saint realm cultivator despite being at Cosmos Bridge realm, the young master was just a step away from shattering the atmosphere!

“As expected of the old master’s student, he does have the old master’s flair in him!” Sun Qiang remarked in awe.

After organizing the guards, Wei Changfeng turned to the crowd and clasped his fist.

“Everyone, I ask of you not to speak a word of what happened here today outside. You will have my gratitude for that.”

Even though these men hadn’t seen the battle for themselves, it did seem that the young master intended to keep a low profile, so it would be ideal for him to limit any rumors as far as he could.

In any case, the young master hadn’t revealed his name at any point, so these men would be unlikely to point him out anyway.

“Don’t worry, Boss. Our lips are sealed!”

“Confidentiality has always been my strong suit…”

The cultivators hurriedly nodded.

Considering that a master teacher and the boss of the Spirit Emporium were involved in this conflict, they would not dare gossip about it for fear of losing their heads.

And more importantly… even if they were to talk about the affairs that had happened today, others would simply take them as lunatics!

After all, they wouldn’t have believed such a thing to be possible either if they hadn’t witnessed it themselves.

Hearing the voices of agreement, Wei Changfeng turned to the attendants and instructed, “Men, give these guests a gift package each as compensation for the trauma they have suffered from this incident!”

To be able to build a business empire from scratch and sustain it for so many years in Hongyuan Empire wasn’t an easy feat. Wei Changfeng was also quite a capable person himself.

With a suitable use of threat and reward, those men should understand that it wouldn’t be to their advantage to talk.

“Good!” Seeing how Xiao Feng dealt with the incident promptly, Zhang Xuan nodded in commendation.

In truth, the Spirit Emporium didn’t have as many fakes as he’d claimed. Most of it was due to his framing.

Even though the appraiser did exaggerate about the grade-6 pill, it wasn’t so extreme that it could be considered poison. In truth, the so-called poison was a surge of zhenqi which he slipped into the pill while holding the jade box.

After learning the Heaven’s Path Poison Art, he could turn his Heaven’s Path zhenqi into lethal poison on a whim.

With that, poisoning a Sample Pill Beast to death was not a difficult feat at all.

If someone had realized what was going on and waited for a moment longer with the pill, the zhenqi he had hidden inside would have dissipated and lost its effect.

As for the Bronze Gong, as a soul oracle, it was exceedingly easy for him to nullify its soul attack.

Most of the subsequent fakes that he had pointed out were also tampered by him one way in another. He had identified their flaws via the Library of Heaven’s Path and framed his cases accordingly. As easy as that, everything in the room had soon turned into a fake.

As for the acknowledgement by the artifacts, just as Sun Qiang had thought, Zhang Xuan had already made them submit to him while introducing the various ‘fakes’ to the crowd. If the other party had chosen to compensate him, he would have left without doing anything. Otherwise, he’d planned to tear apart the other party’s nest with their own artifacts.

“Let’s return!”

Since Wei Changfeng had sent his men after Sun Qiang, it was natural that he would know where their residence was. With his soul shackled, he would surely come to them after finishing up whatever he had to do at the Spirit Emporium.

With his goal achieved, there was no need for Zhang Xuan to remain in the Spirit Emporium any longer. Thus, he and Sun Qiang leaped onto the back of the Great Violetwing Beast and soared into the sky, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Back at the residence…

“Young master, these are the high-tier spirit stones that the boss of the Spirit Emporium gave us earlier on!”

Sun Qiang passed over the ten high-tier spirit stones which he had taken from Wei Changfeng earlier on.

“Alright!”

Grabbing hold of them, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. After which, he instructed, “You need not worry about money any longer. Go ahead and find a larger residence for us.”

With the boss of the Spirit Emporium as his subordinate, money was no longer an issue to them. Naturally, it was about time for them to find a more fitting residence. Honestly speaking, this place was a little too small for his liking. There wasn’t even enough space for him to interrogate the Byzantium Helios Beast.

“Yes!” Sun Qiang nodded.

“For the time being, you all won’t require high-tier spirit stones for your cultivation. Here are some artifacts and pills, deal with them as you deem fit. If it is of any use to your cultivation, go ahead and use it!”

Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out the various items which he had taken from the Spirit Emporium earlier.

Sun Qiang stored the items in his storage ring and nodded.

With these items, Zheng Yang and the others would be able to advance their cultivation by leaps and bounds.

Sun Qiang suddenly recalled a matter and reported, “Young Master, when I was out earlier today, I saw a residence that fits our criteria. Not only is it in close proximity to the Master Teacher Academy, it also has all of the amenities we require. However… it seemed like someone has just purchased it!”

“It can’t be helped if someone has already taken it. Hongyuan City is very big; it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to find another larger residence,’ Zhang Xuan replied.

Since the residence was only purchased recently, it was unlikely that the owner would be willing to sell it for the time being. Since that was the case, they might have better luck searching for another residence in the city. Besides, they weren’t in a rush either.

“Alright. I will be in the Master Teacher Academy the next few days. If there is anything urgent, contact me through the Great Violetwing Beast. If that fails, go ahead and liaise with Xiao Feng!” Zhang Xuan instructed.

After Zhang Xuan was done with the arrangements, he leaped onto the back of the Great Violetwing Beast and flew for the academy.

With this matter resolved, it was about time for him to head to the Terpsichore School and Demonic Tunist School to browse through their books.

He had to deal with the Innate Fetal Poison in his soul as soon as possible so as to avoid any unexpected circumstances.

Zhang Xuan had the Great Violetwing Beast land at the Elite Sector before sending it back to Sun Qiang’s side. Just as he was about to ask around where the Demonic Tunist School and Terpsichore School were, he suddenly heard knocking on his door.

Opening his door, he saw Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, Song Chao, and a few others standing at the doorway.

After the entrance examination, they had been settled into their dormitories by Bai shi and the other seniors. Upon hearing that Zhang shi had taken up a residence in the Elite Sector, they came over to pay their greetings.

After trading a few pleasantries, Ruohuan gongzi dived into the main topic at hand and asked, “Brother Zhang, there is an event for students to find their teachers today. Are you going to participate in it?”

“I will pass.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had no intentions of finding a teacher. With the Library of Heaven’s Path, all he needed was an ample number of books.

“Actually, the reason we came to look for you today is to seek Brother Zhang opinion on which teacher we should acknowledge in the academy!” Ruohuan gongzi said sheepishly.

In terms of age, he and Luo Xuan could be considered as Zhang Xuan’s senior. However, in the Master Teacher Continent, seniority was determined by one’s capability. In a sense, addressing Zhang Xuan as a fellow peer could be considered as a sign of respect to him.

“This… I am not too familiar with the teachers of the academy.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

How could he know which teacher would be the best in the academy? He wasn’t going to seek a teacher in the first place!

“You aren’t familiar with the teachers of the academy? How can that be! We have already heard the rumors, and it seemed like you even rejected School Head Mo’s offer to become his direct disciple…” Luo Xuan exclaimed in disbelief.

Zhang shi had performed outstandingly in the entrance examination, winning over School Head Mo’s admiration. As such, the latter had offered to take the other in as his direct disciple, only to be flatly rejected.

This matter had already spread like wildfire across the entire academy.

Since you rejected even School Head Mo’s offer, doesn’t that mean that you have a better candidate in mind?

“I haven’t thought that far yet. Speaking of which, since you are here, does it mean that you already have a person in mind? Why don’t you tell me? I will help you ask around!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

Since they were asking for his opinion, they must have already taken a look around and had a candidate in mind, just that they were still feeling a little uncertain about their choices.

Most freshmen lacked connections with the seniors to enquire about the various teachers in the academy. However, Zhang Xuan was acquainted with Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er, as well as several school heads in the academy.

If those didn’t work, he could also ask the students in the Elite Sector; surely at least one of them would be willing to share some insights.

Even though it had only been two days since Zhang Xuan had cleared the entrance examination, he had already forged several connections which allowed him to maneuver around the academy easily.

MOAR UpVote (づ⚆□⚆)づ!!! Thx <3

Chapter 759: Ashen Moon Faction

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“The teachers of the ten schools will be conducting a public lecture each on the ‘Impartation Podium’ later today. We hope that Brother Zhang can attend it with us. Your eyes are far more discerning than ours, so we trust your judgement more,” Ruohuan gongzi said awkwardly.

After suffering multiple blows while competing with the man before him, he knew better than anyone else that the other party was a man of incredible capability.

If the other party could help him find a teacher, it would definitely be far better than him fumbling around and trying his luck.

There were only three days for students to find a teacher. Their future was at stake here. They could soar to great heights with a good teacher, but if they were to make a mistake with this, they could potentially end up capping their future accomplishments instead.

Eventually, they’d decided that it would be best for them to consult Zhang Xuan on this matter. They had all come from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, so they were familiar with one another.

Even when compared to Hong shi and the others, Zhang shi’s judgement was still far more precise and accurate.

“Impartation Podium? Public lecture?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Too overwhelmed by challenging the blacksmith examination, he hadn’t had the time to learn what was going on in the academy yet.

The Impartation Podium stood at the very center of the academy, and it was usually the venue for most major events. At the same time, it also served as a dueling platform for students to resolve their differences.

As for public lectures, he had heard of them back when he was still a teacher in Hongtian Academy.

To put it simply, it was a lesson which anyone could attend if they wanted.

The public lectures served as a platform for students to assess a teacher’s capability so that they could better choose their teachers.

At the same time, it also introduced a fair degree of rivalry among the teaching staff, encouraging them to work harder and strive for excellence in their teaching.

“Yes, does Zhang shi want to head over as well?” Everyone turned to look at Zhang Xuan.

Seeing the determined expressions on their faces, it was clear that they wouldn’t give up easily on this matter. After all, it was extremely easy for one to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of master teachers conducting public lectures there.

This choice could potentially determine how far they would rise as a master teacher, so they weren’t willing to take it lightly.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Alright, I will go with you all then. This will be a good opportunity to see the standard of the teachers in the academy…”

Since most of the teachers were participating in this event, it was unlikely that there would be any people at the Terpsichore School or Demonic Tunist School, making it difficult for him to find the books he sought. Thus, he might as well make use of the time to take a peek at the quality of lessons in Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy so that he could have a rough gauge of where he stood.

With Zhang Xuan having made up his mind, the group headed left for the Impartation Podium. It was some distance away from the Elite Sector, but with their current cultivation, it didn’t take too long for them to arrive at their destination.

There was only one word that could be used to describe the venue—congested.

All thirty thousand freshmen were currently standing atop the Impartation Podium, in search of a suitable teacher for them. There were also a couple of seniors who had decided to join in the bustle as well. Despite the immense size of the podium, it was completely packed with men. One would have easily gotten lost if it had been their first time here.

Ruohuan gongzi had looked into the event beforehand, so he began introducing the various technicalities regarding it.

“In order to better facilitate the freshmen around the various public lectures held by the teachers, they have divided the Impartation Podium in a manner such that there’s a narrow passageway for movement, and as long as one walks along the passageway, they will be able to listen to the lectures held by all of the teachers.”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan glanced at the crowd ahead of him, and indeed, he could see that most people were heading in the same direction, which was likely where the passageway Ruohuan gongzi mentioned was.

Standing on elevated platforms on both sides of the passageway were teachers who were busy lecturing the crowd gathered around them. Being too far away, the group wasn’t able to hear the content of the lectures. Nevertheless, they could see the intoxicated looks of the students listening to the lectures, seemingly fully-immersed in the lecturers’ words.

Nearly all of the teachers in the Master Teacher Academy were 6-star master teachers, and at such a level, how could their ability to impart knowledge possibly be lacking? No matter how boring their lessons might be, their deep understanding of cultivation easily made up for it. Their words carried a kind of strength that drew people in, leaving the listeners deeply entranced by the brand-new world opened to them.

“Juniors, may I interest you in the ‘Teacher Information Documentation’?”

Just as the group was about to follow the crowd into the passageway, a smiling young man suddenly walked up to them and blocked their way.

The young man seemed to be in his thirties, possessing a lanky figure reminiscent of a bamboo. A 5-star emblem stood on his chest, which showed that he was at least a Grade-2 student in the academy.

“Teacher Information Documentation?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

The young man glanced in the surroundings, and after ensuring that no one was looking, he whipped out a book and passed it over while whispering in a hushed voice, “Yes. Our Ashen Moon Faction has specially compiled all of the information regarding the teachers in the academy, as well as their various unique characteristics, interests, and the results of their students. Using this as a reference as you listen to the various public lectures, you will be able to make a better choice…”

“There is such a thing?”

Bewildered, Zhang Xuan took the book, and just as he was about to flip it open, the young man before abruptly stopped him.

“Every single one of us in the Master Teacher Academy possesses a photographic memory. If I allow you to browse through the book, how am I supposed to sell it? If you wish to look at it, you will have to buy it…”

Anyone with a Soul Depth beyond 10 would possess a photographic memory. Considering that the minimum requirement to enter the academy was for one to be a 4-star master teacher, it meant that every single student had a photographic memory.

The Teacher Information Documentation contained extremely precious information, and the other party was clearly intending on using it to earn some additional money. If he were to allow his customers to browse through it and memorize its contents, who would bother buying the book?

“How much does it cost?” Ruohuan gongzi asked.

Since this document had been prepared by the seniors, it should be accurate. If they could buy a copy, it would help facilitate them in choosing which teacher to acknowledge.

“Our Ashen Moon Faction spent great effort to gather and compile the information, so we have to charge a higher price in order to recoup our losses. Each copy costs a hundred middle-tier spirit stones, and the price isn’t up for negotiation!” the young man said.

“A hundred middle-tier spirit stones?” Everyone was shocked.

Coming from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, Ruohuan gongzi had barely seen any middle-tier spirit stones in his life. Luo Xuan, who had come from the strongest sect in the region, fared slightly better in his financial position, but forking out a hundred middle-tier spirit stones was still far beyond his means.

As for Song Chao, he could hardly take out a middle-tier spirit stone under Zhang Xuan’s beguilement back then, so asking him to take out a hundred at once was clearly asking too much.

In other words, of all of them, Zhang Xuan was the only one who could afford the document!

The price sure was steep!

Taking the distressed expressions before him into sight, the young man hurriedly said, “You all find the documentation expensive? You do know that there is detailed information on each and every teacher in here, right? Once you find a suitable teacher, it’s just a matter of time before you make the breakthrough to become a 5-star master teacher. By then, you won’t need to worry about having insufficient middle-tier spirit stones anymore!”

There was a huge gap between each rank of a master teacher. While there were limited opportunities for a 4-star master teacher to earn middle-tier spirit stones, 5-star master teachers didn’t have such a worry.

“Thank you for your concern, but we don’t need it!” Sighing deeply, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

A hundred middle-tier spirit stones for a document… That was daylight robbery!

Besides, Zhang Xuan didn’t need such a thing either.

For one, he had just touched the book earlier, and a replica had appeared in his mind… On top of that, his version was more detailed with indications to mark which information was inaccurate.

“You don’t need it? How could you not need it? Finding a suitable teacher in the academy is of utmost importance! If you take this lightly, you might just find yourself unable to progress a single step forward as a master teacher, and eventually, you might even end up being expelled by the academy…” Not expecting the freshmen to turn down his offer, the young man froze for a moment before hurriedly trying to persuade them.

Rejecting a teacher that one had acknowledged was an extremely troublesome process that could result in dire consequences, so it was extremely important for the freshmen to choose their teacher wisely.

If they were to make the wrong decision, their future would be bleak.

“We really don’t need it. We bought a copy earlier, so we don’t need another one!” Zhang Xuan said.

“You have already bought one?”

The young man froze for a moment before a thought struck him, and he said, “Did you buy from the True Helios Faction instead? I can tell you safely that the documentation they have is incomplete and inaccurate, so you will be far safer buying from me…”

“If I may ask, what are the True Helios Faction and Ashen Moon Faction that you speak of?” Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

“You don’t know?”

The young man was shocked for an instant before nodding in realization. “I forgot, you have just arrived in the academy, so it’s natural for you to be unaware of it. Our academy has many student organizations, and every single one of them was established by the strongest students in the academy. Our Ashen Moon Faction is led by Senior Long Cangyue while the True Helios Faction is headed by Senior Xue Zhenyang!”

“Long Cangyue? Xue Zhenyang?”

“Un, both of them are esteemed Grade-5 seniors, and they possess formidable strength. As long as you join any organization, you will be given the opportunity to receive pointers from the seniors!” the young man said proudly.

“Receive pointers?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before he understood what was going on.

To become a Grade-5 student, one had to be a 6-star low-tier master teacher.

(Grade-1 students are at 4-star pinnacle and half 5-star; Grade-2 students are at 5-star low-tier, Grade-3 students are at 5-star high-tier; Grade-4 students are at 5-star pinnacle; Grade-5 students are at 6-star low-tier.)

Often, a teacher would be paired with many students, and this left them little time to care for all of them. Thus, it would be highly beneficial if they could receive the pointers of a 6-star low-tier master teacher outside of lessons as well.

“Indeed. The academy is filled with many geniuses, and if you can’t keep up, you will only lag behind. This means that you might lose the opportunity to go on experiential training and obtain valuable cultivation resources… If you wish to keep up, the only way before you is to join one of these factions!” the young man said.

Hearing those words, Ruohuan gongzi, Luo Xuan, and the others couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Unlike Zhang shi, they didn’t possess extraordinary talent or capability. Unless they received all of the resources they could get, it was impossible for them to stand out amidst all of the geniuses in the Master Teacher Academy.

If they couldn’t stand out, they might lose out on many valuable opportunities offered by the academy, thus limiting their future achievements.

Thus, it was inevitable that they would have to join one of these student factions.

“Alright, you will get to know more of it in the future, so there is no need to worry about it at this point. For now, what is important is for you to find a teacher who fits your criteria, and the documentation offered by the True Helios Faction won’t be enough for it. I am only saying this out of worry, but you really should buy the one from our Ashen Moon Faction. Not to brag, but our Senior Long Cangyue received a much higher placing than Senior Xue Zhenyang in the Annual Tournament…”

The young man continued to advertise the book in his hand.

“I appreciate your gesture, but we really don’t need it…”

If the book only cost one or two middle-tier spirit stone, Zhang Xuan could still consider buying it. But a hundred? That was clearly exploitation! How could he agree to it?

Thus, he decided to turn down the offer.

Seeing that the few freshmen before him were still unwilling to buy the document after all he had said, the young man’s face darkened.

“You refuse? That won’t do! Since you bought the documentation from True Helios Faction, you must buy the one from our Ashen Moon Faction as well. Otherwise, I can tell you that you will face a lot of trouble in the future for offending us!”

The smile had disappeared from his face, and his tone was menacing.

“Face a lot of trouble? Are you threatening us?” Zhang Xuan asked impassively.

The young man harrumphed.

“Threatening? Of course not, this is just a warning from me in my capacity as your senior. Even though all of the students in the Master Teacher Academy are master teachers, the water here isn’t as calm as it seems!”

Chapter 760: Meeting the White-robed Lady Once More

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Oh? Why is that so?” Zhang Xuan asked with a smile, unfazed by the other party’s threat.

“There is a limit to the cultivation resources, training fields, and opportunities that the academy can offer to the students each year. Even slots for working as the receptionists or attendants of the various schools don’t come easily! If you offend our Ashen Moon Faction, I can guarantee you that we possess more than sufficient power to ensure that you won’t be able to land yourself any missions or tasks year after year, making it impossible for you to earn even a single Academic Credit!” the young man said.

As a powerful student faction in the academy, it wasn’t too difficult for them to make the life of a freshman a living hell.

“Unless…”

The young man paused. “Unless you join our Ashen Moon Faction! Only if you join us will we extend our umbrella of protection to you. No other faction will dare to seek trouble with you, and there are also many faction-based missions and tasks that you will be able to participate in to earn Academic Credits. More importantly… if you join now, we can give you a copy of our Teacher Information Documentation for free, sparing you from the additional expense!”

“There are so many benefits from joining the Ashen Moon Faction? But there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world… What will we have to give in return?” Ruohuan gongzi asked.

Since the faction was willing to offer its members so many benefits, surely it had to receive something in return. Otherwise, who would be so kind-hearted as to open a charity in the competitive academy?

“Simple. Once you become a member, you must obey the leadership of the Ashen Moon Sect. On top of that, you must pay an Academic Credit to the faction each year and help manage the businesses of the faction,” the young man replied.

“Pay an Academic Credit to the faction? Help manage the businesses of the faction?” Everyone fell into deep thought.

As they had expected, such a sweet deal couldn’t possibly be without its shortcomings.

Putting aside how they didn’t have a single Academic Credit with them at the moment, even if they did, there was no Academic Credit that came easily. One Academic Credit each year was definitely a huge sum for them as Grade-1 students.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but be shocked by how lucrative factions were. If the faction were to have a hundred men, wouldn’t that mean that they would receive a hundred Academic Credits annually?

It was no wonder the Grade-5 seniors would devote their time to establishing student factions and offering pointers to the members of their factions! With such benefits, they would do it if they were in the other party’s position as well!

As for the businesses, their primary function was probably to finance the expenses of the faction. After all, be it to build connections, conduct activities, or to reward the contributions of its members, they would surely need a source of income for its operations.

As master teachers, the students all had supporting occupations, so they could contribute to the finances of the faction through offering pills they had forged or weapons they had smithed.

For one, the young man before them who was marketing the Teacher Information Documentation to them would probably have to hand the profits earned over to the faction eventually.

The young man harrumphed.

“That’s right. You only have two options now. You can either buy the document or join our faction, or else you can look forward to endless trouble in the academy!”

“Zhang shi…” Ruohuan gongzi, Song Chao, and the others quickly turned their sights over to Zhang Xuan.

The latter had already become their pillar of support, so in times of difficulty, they couldn’t help but subconsciously look toward him for help.

“My apologies, but we will be taking neither of the options!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He wasn’t interested in the book nor the benefits the faction had to offer.

No matter how powerful the student factions were, could they be any greater than becoming the junior of one of the Ten Great Master Teachers? Since he’d already turned down the latter, how could he possibly be, in the least, interested in the former?

“You have guts! You’d better pray that you manage to find a strong backer in this event, or else be prepared to be put through living hell in the academy!” Seeing that the group before him rejecting his offer, the young man glared at them ferociously before flinging his sleeves and leaving.

“Zhang shi, what should we do if they really come knocking on our doors?” Song Chao and the others asked worriedly.

They didn’t have Zhang Xuan’s capability or backing, so unlike him, they couldn’t afford to offend a powerful organization in the academy.

Zhang Xuan waved his hands. “We are in the Master Teacher Academy, so they dare not go too far. If they really try to pull something, I will look for School Head Mo and School Head Zhao to intervene in the matter, so you don’t have to worry. For the time being, let us focus on finding a teacher for you first.”

Since they were master teachers, even if they wished to provoke another student, they would have to play within the rules… And in a game of rules, Zhang Xuan was confident that he could leave them on the verge of a breakdown.

Putting aside a mere student faction, even all of the Ten Great Master Teachers might not be a match for him in that regard!

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s promise, the others felt a little reassured.

“Alright, we will be depending on you then…”

As the group made their way to the passageway, they encountered a few other factions such as the Descending Lunar Faction and Demon Assembly Faction. They attempted to persuade them to either join their faction or purchase their intelligence as well.

Zhang Xuan casually took hold of their documents, and after noting that they were all around the same as the one offered by the Ashen Moon Faction, he turned them down politely.

Seeing the freshmen refusing all of their offers and rushing straight to the public lecture, the seniors in charge of selling the documents and promoting their factions shot them looks of sympathy.

If one wanted to soar in the academy, there were two conventions they would have to go through. One, they had to find themselves a suitable teacher. Two, they had to join a faction. Otherwise, if they were to go independent, they would be vulnerable to any trouble, and every single step they took would be fraught with difficulties. Academic Credits would fall beyond their reach, causing their progress to stagnate.

Not bothered by those arrogant seniors, Zhang Xuan led the group straight toward the passageway.

A long queue had formed at the entrance of the passageway.

On the very first stage, a forty-year-old teacher was currently in the midst of his lecture. Despite the loud bustle in the surroundings, the crowd beneath could still hear his voice resounding by their ears clearly, as if he was speaking to them personally.

“The core of cultivation lies in the heart. In the Consonant Spirit realm, one seeks to achieve a harmony between the body and soul, and in order to temper one’s soul, one has to temper one’s heart first…”

According to a plaque hanging on the stage, he was a 6-star high-tier master teacher from the Apothecary School named Li Yuan, and the content of his lecture was regarding cultivation in the Consonant Spirit realm.

After listening to it for a short moment, Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though the middle-aged teacher’s lecture was still miles away from matching up to him and there were several mistakes in his understanding, Zhang Xuan still had to admit that the content he delivered was novel. If it was anyone else who was listening to this lecture, he might just receive a stroke of inspiration and advance even further in the Consonant Spirit realm.

However, it was useless to Zhang Xuan.

“This Li shi from the Apothecary School is very detailed in his explanations, and he is very generous as well. If you were to become his student, you should be able to get a huge discount off his pills, sparing you a lot of money…” With a hushed voice, Zhang Xuan swiftly introduced the profile of the middle-aged teacher on the stage.

They had participated in the Master Teacher Tournament alongside Zhang Xuan, and they knew that he possessed the ability to view the content of a book without even flipping its pages. Thus, they weren’t too surprised by his revelation, and they took a mental note of his words.

Students were given three days to select their teacher after this event, so there was no hurry. Most students would use this time to sort out their choices before making their decision.

“Let’s continue on!” After gaining a clear assessment of the unique traits and capability of the middle-aged teacher, Zhang Xuan gestured for the group to proceed on.

The next teacher in the line was from the Physician School. His lecture was regarding the fusion of the Way of Medicine into cultivation, allowing one to remain resilient in the face of severe illnesses.

“If you were to learn from this teacher, you might not improve as fast as you would under the teacher from the Apothecary School, but he will help you build a strong foundation which will beneficial to you in the future!” Zhang Xuan introduced.

In the Master Teacher Academy, students could choose to join one of the ten schools, and once they did so, they would have to put the corresponding supporting occupation as their second priority after master teacher.

Naturally, joining a school would grant the students certain privileges as well. For example, if one were to join the Apothecary School, they would be able to purchase pills at a discounted price.

If one were to join the Physician School, they would gain access to documents regarding the study of the human body, allowing them to build up a strong foundation in their cultivation.

The Blacksmith School had valuable physical body cultivation technique manuals; the Beast Tamer School had private mountains filled with rare beasts; the Painter School had high-tier paintings that allowed one to calm their mind, enhancing their rate of cultivation…

All in all, each school had their own strengths. Most students would usually choose based on their interest and proficiency in the occupation.

After walking around for a while longer, Zhang Xuan slowly lost interest. Thus, he eventually searched for a less crowded area to stop at and took out an empty book. Taking out a brush and an ink slab, he swiftly copied down the accurate details which he had gathered from the documents compiled by the various factions, as well as what he had observed through the public lectures.

“I have written down the details regarding the teachers in this book, feel free to browse through it. It should be enough for you to find a suitable teacher!”

This book, which had been verified using the Library of Heaven’s Path, had no errors whatsoever. With it, Ruohuan gongzi and the others should have no trouble finding a suitable teacher for themselves.

“Un!” Ruohuan gongzi and the others nodded.

By corroborating the content of the book Zhang Xuan compiled with the public lectures they had just listened to, they would have more than enough information to make a judgement themselves. There was no need for them to bother Zhang shi over the issue anymore.

“While you all are looking at the book, I will go take a walk around.” Passing the book to them, Zhang Xuan stretched his back lazily. Just as he was contemplating whether he should make his way to the Terpsichore School or Demonic Tunist School, he suddenly caught sight of a silhouette which sent a jolt through his body.

Is that… her?

It was an elegant white-robed figure walking amidst the bustling crowd. Despite the clamor around her, her presence seemed to bring about a soothing aura to the surroundings, as if a calm painting.

This was the exact same sensation that he had felt from the white-robed lady whom he had met at the Verdant Mountain back in Huanyu Empire.

The world was big, so Zhang Xuan had thought that he would never see the other party ever again after their abrupt parting. But that familiar disposition and silhouette… Could it be her?

Fearing that it was just an illusion and he might lose sight of her the next moment, he dared not turn his eyes away from her.

Despite the congestion ahead, the crowd seemed to open up before the white-robed figure through some mysterious force, creating ample space for her to walk through. Yet, despite this bizarre phenomenon, there didn’t seem to be a single person amidst the crowd who had realized it yet, as if it was a perfectly ordinary occurrence.

What an incredible ability! Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

This phenomenon could only be produced by the comprehension of spatial laws.

Those students had clearly moved from their original positions, but it seemed to them as if they were still standing on the same spot.

Even Zhang Xuan didn’t possess the means to do the same.

“Is it really her?” Zhang Xuan muttered in a daze.

Back when he’d first met the white-robed lady in the Verdant Mountain, he had sensed that the other party’s cultivation wasn’t too high. That was why he’d rushed forward to save her upon seeing that she had been encircled. Yet, when he was suffering a backlash due to the incompatibility between his soul and body, she was the one who’d intervened and facilitated an impeccable fusion between his soul and body.

Such an ability was far beyond Zhang Xuan’s current means.

From this, it could be seen that she had concealed her true strength. Even at this time, he was still unable to gain a clear grasp of her strength.

“Flaws!” Zhang Xuan muttered, but the next moment, he froze.

She isn’t using a battle technique?

He’d thought that such manipulation of space could be considered as the usage of a battle technique, so he’d tried to check it through the Library of Heaven’s Path. However, the Library of Heaven’s Path remained completely silent.

In other words, the young lady before him wasn’t using a battle technique.

Otherwise, the Library of Heaven’s Path would surely have been able to compile a book on her!

So far, he had yet to encounter anything which the Library of Heaven’s Path was unable to discern.

Hu!

Bewildered, Zhang Xuan was just about to walk forward to take a closer look when the white-robed figure, as if sensing his gaze, stopped and turned around.

A beautiful face came into sight.

It was indeed the white-robed lady he had met back then!

Even though there were certain differences to her facial features due to some kind of disguise she was donning, those were incapable of fooling his Eye of Insight. With just a glance, he could tell that it was the young lady whom he had met back in the mountains.

Unable to suppress his agitation, he rushed up to her and said nervously, “Y-you are here as well?”

The young lady was scanning her surroundings, as if trying to determine the source of the gaze when she suddenly caught sight of him. Her eyes lit up, and a light smile surfaced on her lips. For an instant, it was as if a hundred flowers had bloomed.

Chapter 761: You Are a Teacher?

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

That lady carried a unique poise which emanated an explicable beauty when she smiled. Even Zhao Ya’s disposition and beauty seemed to pale before her.

Forcing himself to remain calm so as to not lose his bearings before the other party, Zhang Xuan asked, “Are you… a student of this academy?”

For some reason, he couldn’t help but feel anxious and even a little lost before this lady. This was a feeling he had never felt from anyone before.

He was in the Master Teacher Academy due to clearing the entrance examination and becoming a student here. Since the other party was here as well, could it mean that she was a student too?

It would be great if that was the case. The thought of being able to spend many of the future days with the other party left him with a tinge of anticipation inside.

However, the young lady shook her head.

“No?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Then… are you the kin of one of the elders here?”

There were strict rules in the Master Teacher Academy, and other than the students and the staff, no one else was allowed to step onto its premises.

If she wasn’t a student of the academy, could it mean that she was the daughter or relative of one of the elders here? Otherwise, how could she possibly appear within the academy?

However, the young lady shook her head once more.

“Then…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head, and just as he was about to continue guessing, a faint but graceful voice sounded by his ears.

“Follow me.”

After which, the young lady before him began walking in a certain direction.

“You can speak…” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

He hadn’t heard a word from the other party back when they were on the Verdant Mountain, so he’d thought that she was incapable of speech. Who would have thought that not only could she speak, her voice would be so moving as well?

“Of course I can!” The young lady rolled her eyes with a smile.

This fellow was truly a fool.

Back on Verdant Mountain, she had killed a ferocious spirit beast who had tyrannized the region, thus winning her the gratitude of countless other spirit beasts who resided in the area.

Therefore, those spirit beasts paid her a visit to express their gratitude, but in fear of disturbing her rest, they ended up gathering and lingering in her surroundings instead. Yet, that fellow had thought that she was under attack and forcefully pulled her down into the lake.

They ended up swimming underwater for a long period of time in an attempt to escape from the pursuit of the other spirit beasts.

Even at the very end, he thought that he had saved her life. He was truly a funny person.

But despite the misunderstanding, she knew that he had done it out of the goodwill of his heart. Considering his bravery in charging into an army of spirit beasts to ‘save’ her, she eventually chose not to point out the misunderstanding.

He had saved her once, and she had returned the favor by resolving the issue regarding his soul. With that, she’d thought that their fate had come to an end, and they would never meet again. Who could have known that a day would come when they would meet once more?

“Are you a student here?” the young lady asked as they walked side by side.

“Yes, I am a freshman who have just arrived a few days ago. The last time we met at Huanyu Empire, I was actually just about to head here,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“I see.” The young lady nodded in realization.

So, he was a student here, no wonder she would see him here.

After a moment of silence as they walked amidst the crowd, the young lady suddenly asked, “Have you chosen your teacher yet?”

“Not yet… Actually, I have no intention of finding one at all.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“You don’t intend to find a teacher?” The young lady was surprised. “Why?”

Master teachers who had enrolled here sought to further their capabilities and reach greater heights. The insights of a high-ranked master teacher were highly beneficial to one’s progress as a master teacher, so why wouldn’t one find a teacher?

“It’s nothing much… I just haven’t found a suitable teacher yet,” Zhang Xuan replied with an awkward smile.

It was not that he intended to lie to the other party, but he dared not speak the truth. How could he say that the standard of teachers here was too low, such that their lessons were completely useless to him… If he were to really utter those words, he would be pummeled to death by both teachers and students alike in the next instant.

“What kind of teacher are you looking for? I might be able to help you on this matter,” the young lady said.

Even though she didn’t have much of an understanding of the teachers in the academy, given her eye of discernment, she should be able to easily find a suitable teacher for him.

“This…” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in distress.

He had no intentions of acknowledging a teacher at all, so he wasn’t too sure how he should respond to the other party’s kind gesture.

After all, he had rejected even School Head Zhao and School Head Mo… How could any of the other teachers compare to them?

“I think that this teacher is not bad. His explanation of cultivation techniques is quite detailed, and he analyzes them in a systematic manner, starting from the basics before diving into the intricacies, making it easier for the students to comprehend the knowledge he is trying to impart.”

There was yet another moment of silence between the duo before the young lady suddenly stopped before one of the platforms and gestured to an old man who was in the midst of lecturing a crowd.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the plaque hanging beside the old man and noted that he was from the Celestial Designer School.

Having to deal with complicated mechanisms every day, celestial designers tended to have logical and systematic minds. Such a trait seemed to be particularly useful in the impartation of knowledge too, as such lecturers would slowly build up their reasoning based on sound logic, as if cogs slowly placed into position to form a whole system. This made their lectures far easier to understand and much more memorable.

There were many freshmen gathered around him with agitated looks on their faces, seemingly intent on acknowledging him as their teacher.

However, while students had the right to choose their teacher, teachers were allowed to choose their students as well.

The more capable a teacher was, the more popular they would be amongst the students.

Considering the old man’s outstanding ability in imparting knowledge, there should be a significant number of freshmen who would apply to his tutelage. However, it remained to be seen how many he would accept.

“He is indeed a good teacher, but he isn’t suitable for me…” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Actually, you don’t have to find a teacher for me. I don’t intend to acknowledge a teacher for the time being. Let’s talk about you instead. What’s your name?”

“My name?”

The young lady was just about to reply when agitated exclamations suddenly sounded from the students around.

“I heard that a beautiful teacher has arrived in the academy, and she is going to hold her public lecture soon. Let’s go and take a look!”

“What is there to look at? We are searching for a teacher, not a partner!”

“I heard that she is a master teacher dispatched here from the Qingyuan Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion to engage in experiential learning. Despite not even reaching twenty yet, she is already a 6-star master teacher, and even the Ten Great Master Teachers have to regard her with respect!”

“Is that true?”

“My uncle is a teacher here, and I heard this news straight from him! If we can acknowledge her as our teacher, we will surely be able to rise to great heights in the future!”

“If she truly is a teacher from the headquarters, her view must be much broader than ours. Right, what is her name? I don’t think there is anyone who fits her profile from the Teacher Information Documentation I purchased earlier…”

“She is a new teacher in the academy, and not even the Ashen Moon Faction or the True Helios Faction has seen her yet, so naturally, they don’t have any information on her. However, I did manage to get her name from my uncle. If I recall correctly, I think it is… Luo Ruoxin!”

“That is a beautiful name! Alright, I have decided! I shall go and listen to her public lecture…”

…

Amidst the bustle, many freshmen and seniors rushed forward excitedly, seemingly fearing that they wouldn’t get a good spot if they were to be late.

“Beautiful teacher?” Seeing the excited crowd, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless.

Just because a person was pretty didn’t mean that they would be good at teaching.

“Let’s head over as well!” Hearing the mutters from his surroundings, the young lady shook her head and made her way over as well.

“You wish to see the beautiful teacher as well?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

She was a lady herself, why would she be interested in the beautiful teacher too?

The young lady simply flashed Zhang Xuan a mysterious smile before proceeding ahead.

Zhang Xuan was bewildered, but he could only continue following behind the other party’s back.

Soon, they arrived before a stage. By this point, a huge crowd had already gathered in the area.

An old man was currently standing on the stage, tidying it up.

This stage seemed to have been erected just a moment ago, and unlike the other stages, it was completely empty except for a plaque that read “Luo Ruoxin”.

“Where is the beautiful teacher? Why isn’t she here? Are you sure there is no mistake in your information?”

“Mistake in my information? You must be joking! Do you see that elder on the stage? He is Elder Zhou from the Apothecary School!”

“Elder Zhou? Which Elder Zhou?”

“Which other elder has the surname of Zhou in the Apothecary School? Of course, it is Vice School Head Zhou!”

“Vice School Zhou is actually tidying up the stage personally for the new teacher?”

“It seems like the academy has a really high view of that Luo shi…”

…

Such discussions could be heard amidst the students.

“Vice School Head Zhou?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

Of the ten schools, the Apothecary School ranked at the top. Due to the standing of the Apothecary School, the various leaders of the school also held incredible prestige as well. For a vice school head of the Apothecary School to clean up the stage personally, it seemed that Luo shi was no ordinary master teacher.

Seeing Zhang Xuan’s expression, the young lady beside him asked, “How is it? Are you interested in taking Luo shi as your teacher?”

“Not really.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

“Why? There are so many people here who seem to be interested in her, why aren’t you?” the young lady asked.

Even among two master teachers of the same rank, most would choose to acknowledge the one who had come from the headquarters instead of the branch.

This was due to the difference in terms of worldly view.

Master teachers from the headquarters were likely to have come into contact with higher ranked master teachers themselves, and their understanding of cultivation tended to be much deeper than master teachers from the branches.

Take Luo Qiqi for example, even though she was only a 5-star apothecary as well, she was able to conduct a lesson for the other 5-star apothecaries in Huanyu Empire.

“Even if she is a good teacher, she can’t possibly be better than me. Why should I acknowledge a person who can’t even match up to me as my teacher?” Zhang Xuan said confidently.

So what if the other party had come from the headquarters?

Could the cultivation techniques she had learned be more detailed and aligned with nature than the Heaven’s Path cultivation techniques?

That was impossible!

“Besides, even though the other students are calling her a beauty, I highly doubt that is the case. If she is truly as beautiful as the others claim her to be, why is she not here yet? Perhaps, she might even be hideous!” Zhang Xuan continued with a smile.

Even though he had never dated before, he knew better than to compliment another woman before the lady he fancied. Otherwise, he could very well incur her ire.

Besides, he thought that beauty was just a marketing means for that Luo shi.

To master teachers, one’s appearance was nothing more than a facade. What was truly important was their capability.

Most likely, the issue regarding Luo shi’s beauty might just be an attempt by the academy to draw more students to her public lecture so as to win her goodwill.

It wasn’t like such a matter hadn’t happened before.

“Hideous?” The eyes of the young lady narrowed into slits.

“That’s right. Don’t worry, you will see once she appears…” Zhang Xuan nodded confidently.

Just as he was about to continue, Elder Zhou on the stage suddenly caught sight of something and his eyes lit up. He hurriedly flew over and clasped his fist toward the young lady standing beside Zhang Xuan.

“Luo shi, you are here! We have already prepared the stage for you…”

“Alright.” The young lady nodded before turning to Zhang Xuan with an unreadable smile. “You said that I am hideous, right?”

“Y-you are… Luo Ruoxin, Luo shi?”

Zhang Xuan’s body stiffened as his eyes bulged from their sockets. “You aren’t a student… but a teacher?”

Chapter 762: Library of Heaven’s Path Upgraded (1)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Zhang Xuan was flabbergasted.

He’d thought that the young lady who seemed to be of the same age as him would be a student of this academy, but who would have thought that she was a teacher dispatched from the headquarter!

It was just a moment ago that he’d said that the teacher dispatched from the headquarters would be hideous when it turned out to be the young lady he was interested in… He couldn’t help but fidget awkwardly.

If the young lady before him could be considered hideous, there would be no one in the world who was deserving of the word “pretty”.

Even though her disguise had dulled her ravishing features, her ethereal disposition and elegant bearing still shone through, making it impossible from anyone to avert his gaze from her.

Looking at the silly fellow before her panicking, Luo Ruoxin chuckled before turning around and leaping onto the stage.

“How beautiful!”

“With such appearance, she must be the top beauty of our academy!”

“Top beauty? That student over there, you must be joking. I am from the Bewitching Devil Faction, and I can tell you that Sister Yaoyao is the most beautiful of them all!”

“That’s just your own opinion. In my view, Senior Dongxin is the prettiest!”

“I still think that Princess Fei-er is the best. The other seniors are way out of our league, at least I might still stand a chance with Princess Fei-er…”

“You wish to woo Princess Fei-er? Dream on! Haven’t you heard how long Xing Yuan has courted her for? Honestly speaking, I am still the most entranced by Luo Qiqi’s charms, but it’s a pity that she isn’t interested in me at all…”

…

Upon seeing Luo Ruoxin, a huge commotion broke out beneath.

The rumors regarding the appearance of a new beautiful teacher had drawn many seniors here as well. In an instant, excited discussions sounded amidst the huge crowd.

There were plenty of beauties in the academy as well, and there was even an unofficial ranking list made on them.

However, every individual had their own fancy, so the seat regarding the top still remained contentious.

“I am Luo Ruoxin, a new teacher of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy!”

Paying no heed to the discussions below, Luo Ruoxin began introducing herself. Her voice carried some kind of entrancing property that immediately silenced the bustle below.

“The topic of my lecture will be how a cultivator can establish harmony between his body and soul in the Consonant Spirit realm.

“It is at the Consonant Spirit realm that a cultivator will start cultivating their soul, and any mistake made in one’s cultivation at this point can potentially create a rift between one’s soul and one’s body, limiting one’s strength…”

After listening for a moment, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be impressed.

As expected of a master teacher from the headquarters! The content was simple, but accurate and concise. Even he could not find any problem with it.

No wonder the other party could easily resolve the issue regarding the incompatibility between his body and soul. Her understanding regarding the soul and body could be said to be on par with his.

And that was an incredible feat.

Zhang Xuan possessed the Library of Heaven’s Path, and he had gathered innumerable books so as to compile the perfected Heaven’s Path Divine Art. Yet, the other party’s level of understanding was actually equal to his… It seemed that Luo Ruoxin wasn’t just an ordinary 6-star master teacher. Most probably, she was under the guidance of a high-rank master teacher as well.

Otherwise, it was impossible for her to have analyzed the Consonant Spirit realm so thoroughly.

Soon, the lecture came to an end.

“I’ll be stopping the lecture here. Last but not least, if you wish to become my student, you just have to clear my test. If you fail it, I won’t accept you!” Luo Ruoxin waved her hand.

“Test? What kind of test?”

“We beseech Luo shi to elaborate more on the matter…”

It was only at this point that everyone finally awoke from the entranced stupor they were in. They understood that if they could take the other party as their teacher, they would be able to advance their cultivation, and their eyes were gleaming with anticipation.

“Simple, it’s memorizing books! If anyone can memorize 10,000 books within two hours, I will accept them as my student!” Luo Ruoxin replied.

“10,000 books?” Hearing those words, everyone nearly fainted on the spot.

Even with their photographic memory, memorizing two thousand books or so was already the limit. Ten thousand books… They wouldn’t even have the time to flip through all of the books, so how could they memorize all of them?

They might still be able to give it a try if the test had been on something else, but this… it was clearly impossible!

“With such a test… will she be able to get even a single student?” Zhang Xuan also fell into a daze.

He could easily memorize ten thousand books through the Library of Heaven’s Path, but it would be a difficult feat even for him if he had to do it manually.

For one, he could be spared the additional time spent on flipping through the books in the Library of Heaven’s Path, allowing him to go through the content swiftly. On top of that, his mind could process information far faster in the Library of Heaven’s Path as well, allowing him to memorize ten thousand books within two hours easily. But without it… it was doubtful if even the Ten Great Master Teachers were capable of such a feat.

Thus, to bring up such conditions… that could only mean that Luo Ruoxin had no interest in accepting any students whatsoever.

“Elder Zhou, I will be troubling you to deal with this matter…”

Leaving behind those words, Luo Ruoxin leaped off the stage with a light smile and headed toward Zhang Xuan. “Let’s go.”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded, and the duo walked away.

“Who is that fellow?”

“It seems like he is a freshman!”

“A freshman? How did that freshmen get to know Luo shi? Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seems like they have quite a close relationship?”

“What is going on…”

“Why can’t it be me in his place? In what way am I inferior to him?”

“That person is… Zhang shi? As expected of the most outstanding man amongst us freshman, he is able to even seduce that beautiful teacher…”

“What do you mean by seduce? You are speaking as if Zhang shi has gotten together with her through unscrupulous means! That’s called flirting, alright!”

…

Seeing Luo shi leaving with a freshman, there were many seniors who clenched their fists in anger, furious that they weren’t in that freshman’s place. On the other hand, the remaining freshmen looked upon the sight with eyes gleaming in excitement, as if someone had done them proud.

But regardless of their reactions, Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxin walked straight out of the crowd without paying them any heed. Soon, they were strolling along the lakeside of the academy.

The scent of spring filled the air. A slight breeze blew, and the verdant greenery along the lake danced lightly to it.

The brilliant rays of the sun struck the surface of the lake, evoking a beautiful gleam on it.

Zhang Xuan slowly walked alongside Luo Ruoxin. Even though there was nothing but silence between them, he felt the utmost tranquility in his heart.

The various happenings over the past half a year replayed in his head…

The time he had spent as a teacher in Tianxuan Kingdom, when he accepted his first few students and imparted knowledge to them…

The time when he challenged the master teacher examination in Tianwu Kingdom and met Lu Chong in the midst of it…

The time when he stomped into Xuanyuan Kingdom and challenged the entire kingdom by himself…

The time when he resided in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance and clinched the champion seat in the Master Teacher Tournament…

The time when he accidentally caused some trouble at the Cleansing Lake in Huanyu Empire, venturing into the underground chamber where they believed Wu Yangzi resided in, and meeting the young lady beside him…

In his long journey, his cultivation had advanced from Zhenqi realm all the way to Cosmos Bridge realm.

His Soul Depth had also been raised from the initial 0.1 to the current 19.1, putting him on par with even 6-star master teachers.

The various figures he had met in his journey flashed across his mind as well.

Liu shi, Zhuang shi, Kang shi, Mo shi…

Zhao Ya, Lu Xun, Lu Chong, Shen Bi Ru, Mo Yu…

Be they acquaintances, students, or friends, they were all a part of his life, and they had all played a role in making him who he was.

The various knowledge he had acquired in his time also flashed through his mind… Apothecary, painter, beast tamer, poison master…

Hong long!

Just as these memories were floating in his head, he suddenly felt an intense rumbling in the Library of Heaven’s Path in his mind, and it was growing more and more intense as time passed.

What is happening? Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened in fluster.

The Library of Heaven’s Path was his greatest weapon that he could fall back on in dire times. Did something go wrong with it?

However, there wasn’t even time for him to think the matter through. With his mind on the verge of exploding, the sight before him grew blurrier and blurrier. Eventually, his body swayed weakly and ‘putong!’, he collapsed to the ground.

Before losing consciousness altogether, he seemed to see Luo Ruoxin rushing over toward him and remarking, “Why is he fainting again? Is his body that weak…”

Weak?

Zhang Xuan felt like crying at this very moment.

The previous time he’d fainted was primarily due to the incompatibility between his soul and body, and this time, his Library of Heaven’s Path was suddenly acting up for no apparent reason…

I am really not weak, it is just a coincidence!

Not only am I not weak, I am very fit as well. Trust me!

However, before Zhang Xuan could utter those words, his consciousness had already faded to an endless abyss of darkness…

…

An unknown period of time later, Zhang Xuan finally roused from his temporary coma.

Opening his eyes abruptly, he realized that he was lying on the bed in his Elite Sector residence.

Following which, Zhang Xuan suddenly heard an excited voice, and a beautiful lady with a flawless complexion came into sight.

“Teacher, you are finally awake…”

“Little Qi, why are you here?” Zhang Xuan asked in surprise.

The person before him was no other than the student whom he had accepted back at Huanyu Empire, Luo Qiqi!

After leaving the underground chamber, they had left for Hongyuan City together. However, after reaching the city, they had separated as Zhang Xuan headed for the Academic Sea to liaise with Hong shi and the others while Luo Qiqi returned back to the academy to report on the progress of their mission.

“I heard from School Head Zhao that you are currently residing in the Elite Sector, so I came over to look for you. However, on my way there, I saw you fainted by the lake, so I carried you here,” Luo Qiqi answered.

“I fainted by the lake? Then…” Zhang Xuan frowned.

“You wish to ask about Luo shi, is that right? She was beside you when I arrived, and she took a look at your condition and said that you were fine before entrusting you to me,” Luo Qiqi replied.

“Entrusted me to you? So, she has already left?” Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed within upon hearing that news.

But giving it some thought, they were nothing more than acquaintances who had a prior encounter before enrolling in the academy. The other party had no obligation to send him back to his residence.

Besides, she was currently a teacher, and he was currently a student. Regardless of the reason, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to get too intimate with one another. Otherwise, it would reflect badly on both him and her if malicious rumors regarding them were to start spreading.

“That’s right. I heard that Luo shi only arrived in the academy yesterday, how does teacher know her?” Luo Qiqi asked out of curiosity.

Based on what she had heard thus far, Luo shi was a master teacher dispatched here from the headquarters. It was only yesterday that Mu shi arrived in the Master Teacher Academy together with her, and before that, Zhang shi had been together with them at Huanyu Empire. Thus, it seemed unlikely for them to know one another!

“How do I know her? It’s just a coincidence… Right, the both of you share the same surname. Is there any chance that you knew one another before this?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Luo Ruoxin and Luo Qiqi shared the same character in their surname—Luo.

At the same time, they were also extraordinarily beautiful ladies as well. Could they be related with one another?

“There are many people out there who possess the Luo surname; you are thinking too much into it!” Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but chuckle at that deduction as she shook her head.

Her teacher had always been a rather intelligent person, why would he suddenly ask such a silly question?

Considering the immense size of the Master Teacher Continent, there should at least be a few hundred million people in the world who possessed the surname ‘Luo’. What were the odds of two people possessing the ‘Luo’ surname being related?

“That’s true.” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

It was only in the spur of the moment that he’d asked the question, and he hadn’t thought too much into it.

“How long have I been out for?” Zhang Xuan asked as he sat up from his bed.

“Around three days!” Luo Qiqi replied.

“Three days?” Zhang Xuan was astonished.

He was also out for three days the previous time. Why did it seem as if he was fainting more and more regularly recently, and for three whole days at that?

“That’s right. The three-day period for students to acknowledge their teacher is already over.” Luo Qiqi shook her head with a bitter smile on her face.

Her teacher had truly fainted at an untimely moment. These three days should have been crucial to the future of the freshmen, but he ended up sleeping through it.

Chapter 763: Library of Heaven’s Path Upgraded (2)

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

However, based on what she knew about her teacher, it shouldn’t be a huge issue.

Since he had rejected even Elder Mo and Elder Zhao, there should be no other person in the academy who would worthy of becoming his teacher.

“I see.”

As expected, after hearing her words, the young man before her shook his head, but it didn’t seem like he was too affected by the issue. Instead, he seemed to be more worried about his acquaintance instead. “So… how many students did Luo shi eventually take in?”

“If I recall correctly, Luo shi didn’t take in a single student at all. The requirement she set was simply too strict. Memorizing ten thousand books within two hours is an impossible feat!” Luo Qiqi shook her head.

“She didn’t take in a single student?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

Since she was a teacher of the academy, why didn’t she take in a single student?

“Yes. I am not too sure what is going on, but this matter had everyone baffled,” Luo Qiqi replied.

According to the rumors, Luo Ruoxin had been dispatched to Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy by the headquarters for experiential training, so she should have accepted a few students in order to complete her training. But if that was the case, why did she set such strict requirements?

It was as if she was uninterested in accepting any students at all!

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xuan eventually shook his head and said, “I will ask her about it when I get the chance to.”

Putting Luo Ruoxin’s issue aside, Zhang Xuan’s attention finally fell on Luo Ruoxin, and with just a single glance, he was startled. “You have made a breakthrough?”

The previous time he met her, Luo Qiqi was at Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, the cream of the crop of the Grade-2 students. Yet, in just a few days, she had made the breakthrough to Transcendent Mortal 7-dan Perfect Harmonization realm!

“Yes, it is all teacher’s credit. As a reward for the mission, I received School Head Zhao’s Meridian and Bone Cleansing, allowing me to overcome my previous bottleneck!” Luo Qiqi smiled.

If not for the Meridian and Bone Cleansing from School Head Zhao, even though she was already at Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, it would have still taken her several months or even an entire year in order to take the next step forward.

Beyond Consonant Spirit realm, one had to not only accumulate sufficient zhenqi but nourish one’s soul as well in order to make a breakthrough. It was often the latter that was more troublesome, requiring long periods of time just to increase it the tiniest bit.

As a result, there were many Grade-2 students who were stuck at Cosmos Bridge realm pinnacle, unable to make the final step forward.

However, in the Meridian and Bone Cleansing, not only had School Head Zhao purified her zhenqi, he had also tempered her soul, thus allowing her to make the breakthrough instantaneously.

Yu Fei-er, Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen, and Ye Qian had also benefitted greatly from the Meridian and Bone Cleansing as well.

“My credit?” Zhang Xuan blinked.

Why was this his credit? And what did this have to do with School Head Zhao?

“Did Teacher forget about the mission at the underground chamber? You saved us and helped us retrieve Elder Wu Yangzi’s body. That’s a huge contribution to the Blacksmith School!” Luo Qiqi explained.

“Ahh…”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan suddenly understood why Yuan Hong’s attitude toward him abruptly changed after paying a visit to the school head’s office.

At this point, Luo Qiqi suddenly bowed deeply and said, “Teacher, I apologize for handing the Zither Forging Technique to the Blacksmith School without your approval, I ask of you to punish me…”

She had only managed to obtain the Zither Forging Technique manual with her teacher’s assistance, but without the latter’s approval, she had handed it over to the school.

“You are the one who inherited Wu Yangzi’s heritage; you can do whatever you want with it. Besides, the best way for the Zither Forging Technique to shine is through handing it over to School Head Zhao, so I believe that your decision was the right one as well,” Zhang Xuan said.

Luo Qiqi was the one who had become Wu Yangzi’s student, so it was only right for the technique to belong to her. In this respect, it wouldn’t be right for Zhang Xuan to dictate what she could do with it.

“Thank you, Teacher!”

Even though Luo Qiqi knew that her teacher would agree to it, she didn’t expect him to approve of her actions immediately. After all, the Zither Forging Technique was an incredibly valuable smithing technique which many were dying to lay their hands on. His magnanimity was indeed worthy of respect.

After chatting for a moment longer, Luo Qiqi suddenly recalled something and said, “Teacher, regarding the matter of Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence, I tried looking into it and there was someone who claimed that she knew where it was. I made an appointment with her tonight, and it is going to be time soon. I will have to head over to meet her.”

“Tonight?” Zhang Xuan glanced at the window outside, and only then did he realize that the sun was beginning to set beyond the western horizon, and the sky was beginning to dim.

“I see. Let me grab some food first, and I will accompany you to the meeting,” Zhang Xuan said after some contemplation.

The three days of sleeping had already emptied out whatever that was in his stomach.

“I knew that Teacher would be hungry, so I prepared some food!” Luo Qiqi chuckled as she flicked her wrist, and a huge spread materialized before her.

“Thank you!”

Looking at the delicacies before him, Zhang Xuan’s appetite was whetted, and he immediately dived into action.

While stuffing his mouth, he made use of this opportunity to immerse his consciousness into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

The reason he’d fainted three days ago was due to the rumbling in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Since he had woken up, it was imperative that he should check what had happened to it.

As soon as his consciousness entered the Library of Heaven’s Path, he froze.

This… Something is different about it…

Previously, the Library of Heaven’s Path had been a large hall with towering shelves filled with books, expanding all the way to the horizon. The basic layout was still the same, but somehow, it felt larger, as if the ceiling and shelves were taller than before, and the area had become more spacious.

It seemed like the rumbling had caused several changes in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Not only had it grown larger, it had also become much more majestic and grander.

Looking at it from afar, one couldn’t help but feel intense pressure on one’s soul.

The Library of Heaven’s Path felt like a moon reflected in the water before, ethereal and transient. At this very moment, however, it felt palpable, as if it was a real library standing before him.

“The Library of Heaven’s Path seems to have materialized further, but… what is the use of it?” Zhang Xuan muttered doubtfully.

He stepped forward and attempted to grab one of the books on the shelves, but just like before, his hand simply slipped through it.

In other words, even though the books seemed much more tangible than before, they were still illusory. They could be seen but not touched.

“Where are the books I have gathered before?” Zhang Xuan mumbled as he walked around the library.

Fortunately, he soon arrived at a section where the books he had gathered previously were. It seemed like they hadn’t disappeared due to the changes in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Walking up to them, he casually grabbed one and began flipping through it.

Huala!

With the flipping of the books, the sight before Zhang Xuan blurred as the content of the book dove straight into his mind, etching itself onto it.

This… Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.

Even when reading in the Library of Heaven’s Path previously, he’d needed to read the words one by one in order to memorize them. But at this instant, he was able to memorize the content of the book just by flipping through the pages!

After several tries, he had verified the matter. As long as he picked up a book with the intention to read it, the content would automatically imprint itself onto his mind, sparing him from the additional effort of reading it.

This is great… I will be able to pick up my reading pace in the future! Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up in agitation.

It seemed like along with the renovation in the Library of Heaven’s Path, he had also gained an additional ability!

With his newfound ability, he could easily cover several hundred thousand books in the Library of Heaven’s Path within two hours!

In the future, he wouldn’t need to waste the hard-earned golden pages on assimilating the knowledge within the books anymore.

My pace of reading has quickened… Is it possible that my other abilities might have been enhanced as well? Zhang Xuan thought.

He swiftly extracted his consciousness from his mind and glanced at the chicken drumstick he was currently tearing the flesh out of.

“Flaws!” he muttered.

A book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and he swiftly rushed to flip through it.

The thigh of Spirit Beast Boneless Chicken. Cooked by Master Gourmet Wu Bushui of Drunken Heart Tavern using 47 different spices and herbs…

It took him just an instant to read through the entire book.

Nothing has changed at all! Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

Just like before, the flaws regarding the dish were compiled in the book. There didn’t seem to be any additional ability regarding this.

Hmm, I should try it on some other objects to verify the matter. Perplexed, Zhang Xuan turned his sight to the bookshelf before him.

The residences in the Elite Sector were filled with all kinds of amenities that one might require. There were bookshelves filled with books in the residence as well. However, they weren’t cultivation technique manuals but books on the geography and culture of Hongyuan City.

Zhang Xuan was just about to stand up and make his way to the bookshelf when a thought suddenly came to his mind. Thus, he sat down back down and muttered, “Flaws!”

Hu!

A book appeared in his mind.

This…

He was only giving it a try out of curiosity, not holding much hope that it would work, but it actually did! A book had really appeared! He swiftly dived into the Library of Heaven’s Path to flip through the book.

It was a replica of the book which he had intended to take in earlier.

He experimented a few more times, and the excited gleam in his eyes intensified.

It seems like I can gather books in the Library of Heaven’s Path without touching them…

Previously, the only way for him to gather a book was to touch it with his hands. However, with his newfound ability, he could compile books just by laying his eyes on them and willing it.

In other words, gone were the days where he had to run frenziedly in libraries to gather books!

Recalling those embarrassing days where he had been caught running about in the various libraries, he couldn’t help but feel a little moved within.

And more importantly, his efficiency to gather books had also been boosted immensely!

Does this ability apply to other objects as well? Zhang Xuan wondered.

He had only experimented with books so far, and he was curious to see if this ability was extended to other items as well. To his disappointment, however, it didn’t work on other items.

It seemed like his newfound ability only worked on books at the moment. He could gather books just by laying his eyes on them, but as for artifacts and other items, he still had to lay his hands on them in order to find their flaws.

Frustrated, he shook his head.

He had gotten excited over nothing.

If he could discover the flaws of other objects without touching them, he would be spared a lot of trouble, and his ability would be far more versatile as well.

Perhaps it was due to the Library of Heaven’s Path having yet to reach the required level or an innate flaw in the heavens itself, but he simply couldn’t realize the ability at the moment.

Or maybe I am just lacking practice, I should give it a few more tries just to be sure…

The indignation Zhang Xuan felt made him unwilling to give up, and he began experimenting once again.

And while he was busy experimenting with his abilities, Luo Qiqi, who was sitting beside him, was stunned.

She had bought a table full of delicacies for her teacher to enjoy, but the latter… One moment, he would pick up a chicken thigh, stare deeply into it, and shake his head in disappointment. The next moment, he would look around the room, stare intensely at another object he’d laid his eyes upon, and clench his fists in excitement.

It was as if those items were his friends. Countless different expressions flickered across his face as he lay their eyes on them, be it melancholy, graveness, relaxed, excitement, delight, frustration…

Could he have gone bonkers due to the coma? Or did he lose a part of his soul somewhere?

Surely a normal person would express so many emotions not toward a chicken thigh but her, right?

No matter what, she was one of the most beautiful ladies in the academy. Yet, she couldn’t even hold a candle to the charm of a chicken thigh?

Just as she was sighing deeply, she saw her teacher stretching his other hand forward to tear another chicken thigh before staring at both thighs even more intently.

It was as if he was responding to her doubts. If one chicken thigh wasn’t enough, how about two?

“…” Luo Qiqi.

Chapter 764: Hu Yaoyao

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

It took a while before Zhang Xuan was finally done ‘inspecting’ the chicken thighs and put them down.

It seemed like, for objects other than a book, laying his sight on them wasn’t enough. He still had to come into physical contact with them in order to collect their information in the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Nevertheless, it is good enough that I am able to gather and read books faster than before! Zhang Xuan thought in satisfaction.

It was embarrassing that a noble master teacher like him had been forced to run around in the library in order to collect books in the past. With the newly upgraded Library of Heaven’s Path, he would be able to remain graceful while taking in new knowledge.

Soon, he completed his meal and stood up. “I’m done. Let’s go!”

Back at the underground chamber where Wu Yangzi had been imprisoned before his demise, he had said that he had left his most important heritage and treasure at the Three Stars of the Earth Dragon. However, it had been two thousand years since his passing, and putting aside whatever the Three Stars of the Earth Dragon was, even finding his old residence was a huge trouble in itself.

Luo Qiqi had been looking into the matter ever since her return, and in the past two days, while she was taking care of the unconscious Zhang Xuan, she’d happened to receive some clues to the matter.

“Alright.” Luo Qiqi nodded.

As they were walking out of the residence, they suddenly saw a young lady standing before the door, seemingly intending to knock on it. Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, she quickly clasped her fist and bowed. “Zhang shi!”

“Ran Xiaoxiao?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.

It was the person who had challenged him back when he’d first received the keys to the residence, as well as the second runner-up in the Grade-1 Annual Tournament.

She had challenged him to a duel of Impartation of Heaven’s Will, only to end up falling under his control and defeating the first runner-up Wu Chan and third runner-up Xiao Nan in his stead.

“Yes, I came here to thank Zhang shi for your guidance…” Ran Xiaoxiao smiled.

Initially, she was extremely displeased to hear that a freshman was going to take up the first residence available to Grade-1, which was also the reason why she’d marched up to his residence upon hearing the news and challenged him to a duel. Yet, the other party had been able to point out the various flaws in her cultivation directly, and it was then that she’d realized the gap between her and the other party.

Under the other party’s guidance, she’d been able to overcome her bottleneck, achieving a long-awaited breakthrough in her cultivation. Out of excitement, she’d rushed to his residence in order to express her gratitude. At the same time, she had also heard some worrying news, so she came over to enquire about it as well.

“There is no need to stand on ceremony. We are fellow students, so it’s only right for us to help one another.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.

“If not for Zhang shi’s guidance, I would still be stuck at my previous bottleneck, unable to take a step forward in my cultivation…” Ran Xiaoxiao was just about to bow deeply to express her gratitude once more when she suddenly caught sight of the figure beside Zhang Xuan and widened her eyes. “Senior Qiqi?”

She had been too excited to see Zhang Xuan earlier on that she’d neglected the person who was standing behind him. To her astonishment, it was the most famous Grade-2 senior of the academy, Luo Qiqi!

Luo Qiqi nodded in response to her.

Ran Xiaoxiao was one of the top five geniuses of the Grade-1 students, so it was natural that Luo Qiqi had heard of her as well.

“You two…” Ran Xiaoxiao blinked rapidly in shock.

Luo Qiqi was extremely famous in the Master Teacher Academy, not just because of her incredible talent or her beautiful features, but more importantly, it was said that she had an extraordinary background as well.

She was known to be very diligent, spending most of her time studying and cultivating. Thus, she rarely had any interactions with the opposite sex. Why would she be in Zhang shi’s residence?

On top of that, the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon, and darkness had set into the sky. For two people of the opposite gender to meet under the same roof in the middle of the night… What could they be up to?

“I am learning pill forging from Zhang shi. He is my teacher!” Luo Qiqi replied.

“Teacher?” Ran Xiaoxiao widened her eyes in disbelief upon hearing those words.

Zhang shi is just a Grade-1 student in the academy, and on top of that, he only arrived a few days ago. For a Grade-2 genius like you to acknowledge him as your teacher…

Not to mention, you are also one of the school belles! If word spreads, won’t a riot occur amongst the men of the academy?

“If you are here to thank me, there is really no need for it. As fellow master teachers, we should help each other wherever we can.” Not wanting to be delayed here, Zhang Xuan waved his hand as he prepared to leave with Luo Qiqi.

“AH!” Hearing those words, Ran Xiaoxiao suddenly recalled the other reason she was there, and she quickly spoke up. “Actually, there is another matter I need to talk to Zhang shi about.”

“Oh?”

“Over the last few days, as I was walking around the academy, I heard some news… The student populace is saying that you have offended quite a few student factions, and it seems they are going to coordinate with one another to deal with you!” Ran Xiaoxiao said worriedly.

“I offended the student factions? When did I?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He did refuse to purchase the Teacher Information Documentation from the factions back then… but surely, they wouldn’t be that offended over such a small matter?

Besides, it should be his freedom to decide whether he would buy something or not. For student factions consisting of master teachers to band together against him over such a small matter, that was plain ridiculous.

“You didn’t offend them?” Seeing the confusion on the other party’s face, Ran Xiaoxiao shook her head. “These student factions spend the entire year gathering information on each teacher in order to compile them into a book so as to sell them to the freshmen… However, their business ended up being foiled by Zhang shi, and their morals were even questioned for their doings. How could they possibly not be angry?”

“I foiled their business?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head in confusion. “But I didn’t do anything at all!”

What the heck did I foil?

I have been unconscious the past three days, so what could I have possibly done? Or are you saying that I actually sleepwalked and did something that even I am unaware of?

“You didn’t do anything?” Ran Xiaoxiao sighed deeply in frustration. “Does Zhang shi know the freshmen Jun Ruohuan, Song Chao, and Luo Xuan?”

“I do,” Zhang Xuan replied.

“The three of them have distributed their own version of the Teacher Information Documentation in your name for free, and the content of the book has been shown to be even more detailed and accurate than those sold by the other student factions… This has caused a huge uproar amongst both the freshmen and seniors alike,” Ran Xiaoxiao said.

“They distributed the Teacher Information Documentation for free?” Zhang Xuan’s eyelids began twitching uncontrollably.

That explained everything!

It was out of goodwill for the trio that he’d compiled a version of the Teacher Information Documentation based on the information he had gathered from the others so that they could better choose their teacher, but those fellows actually distributed them freely to the other freshmen! Not to mention, they even used his name!

While the other factions were selling theirs at a hundred middle-tier spirit stones each, they were giving them away for free, and their version was even more accurate at that… That was practically spoiling the market. Of course they would incur the ire of others!

However, it was unlikely that Jun Ruohuan and the others were intentionally trying to screw him over. Most likely, they were just intending to build up a good reputation for him amidst the student populace, just that they failed to think the matter through. As a result, they ended up offending most of the student factions.

“Once a freshman offends the student factions, he will find himself hindered throughout the academy. Zhang shi, you must be careful… If things really come down to it, it might be necessary for you to consider joining a powerful student faction so as to come under their protection,” Ran Xiaoxiao advised.

She was a member of a student faction as well, so she was conflicted for a moment after hearing the news. But eventually, she still decided to inform Zhang Xuan of this issue.

Zhang Xuan might be powerless against the student factions as an individual, but if he could come under the umbrella of one of the more formidable factions, it would be harder for the other factions to do anything to him.

“Thank you!” Knowing that the other party had chosen to inform him of this matter at the risk of falling out with her faction, Zhang Xuan thanked her earnestly.

To be honest, while it might be troublesome, he didn’t really fear the student factions.

After all, from the start of his journey from Tianxuan Kingdom until now, there was no lack of people he had offended.

If they knew what was good of them, they would learn to stay out of his way. Otherwise, he didn’t mind showing them his true prowess.

Even the boss of the Spirit Emporium was nearly driven insane by him, let alone a couple of students.

“I will be taking my leave then.” After saying all that needed to be said, Ran Xiaoxiao clasped her fist and left.

“Those student factions are troublesome to deal with. Teacher, you must be careful!” Luo Qiqi said with a frown as she watched Ran Xiaoxiao’s departing back.

Having spent several years in the Master Teacher Academy, she had seen plenty of the filthy doings of those student factions. If they were to really put their mind to it, they could even force a student to retire voluntarily in just a single day.

This was the reason those without backing or power had to join a student faction. Otherwise, they would be too vulnerable to survive in the academy.

“I understand.” Knowing that the other party was saying those words for his sake, Zhang Xuan nodded.

Luo Qiqi was worried, but considering how Zhang Xuan had School Head Mo and School Head Zhao’s protection, those student factions shouldn’t dare to act too brazenly. Thus, she decided not to think too much into it.

The duo walked along the streets, and soon, they arrived at a gazebo beside the lake.

“This is the location I have agreed on with the other party,” Luo Qiqi said as she came to a halt.

“Who is it? Are they a student of the academy?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“I am not too sure either. I sent the request at the Succor Tower, and someone responded to me. We made an appointment to meet here. Unfortunately, there are no additional details regarding the other party’s profile.” Luo Qiqi replied.

“I see.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

The academy’s Succor Tower was a place where the students or even teachers could post requests such as to seek assistance on certain subjects they were unsure of or to help them with a certain problem in exchange of certain rewards. Often, the reward tended to be Academic Credits.

In a sense, it worked in a similar fashion to the Wall of Dilemma in the Physician Guilds.

It had been two thousand years since Wu Yangzi had disappeared, and the map of Hongyuan City had also changed significantly over the years. Without any additional assistance, it would take forever for them to track down the location of his old residence. Thus, Luo Qiqi decided to post a request at the Succor Tower, promising Academic Credits in exchange.

She’d thought that it would take quite a long period of time before she could receive an answer, but who would have thought that she would receive a response on the third day?

However, as the identities of respondents and responders were kept anonymous by the Succor Tower, it was impossible for her to know who the other party was. Nevertheless, considering that they were in the academy, the other party should either be a student or a teacher.

“Let’s wait a little longer then,” Zhang Xuan said.

At that moment, a breeze suddenly blew, and a figure abruptly emerged from the darkness of the night.

Under the dim illumination of the stars, one could barely make out the silhouette of a lady. She was tall, but what particularly stood out was her slender waist, which one could easily wrap around with a single hand.

But despite her slender waist, she had a curvaceous figure which would send the hearts of males running in agitation.

Hu!

Soon, the figure landed in the gazebo.

Finally, Luo Qiqi managed to catch sight of the other party’s appearance.

She was a young lady in her late twenties. Just like Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi, she had a beautiful face with distinctive features, but unlike the duo, she commanded a bewitching air around her.

“Senior Yaoyao?” Taken aback, Luo Qiqi quickly clasped her fist and greeted her.

“Oh, so it’s you!” Recognizing Luo Qiqi and well, Hu Yaoyao asked curiously, “Are you the one who is seeking out Wu Yangzi’s old residence?”

“That’s right.” Luo Qiqi nodded. “Do you have any news regarding that?”

“I do know something about it!” Hu Yaoyao nodded.

Hearing the other party’s confirmation, Luo Qiqi clenched her fists tightly in agitation. However, at that moment, she suddenly caught sight of the look of confusion on her teacher’s face, so she quickly filled him in. “Teacher, she is a Grade-5 student from our academy, Senior Hu Yaoyao!”

“Hu Yaoyao?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

Hu Yaoyao, Luo Qiqi, Ran Xiaoxiao…

Was this a trend in the academy? Why did all of the ladies he had met had such names?

“You don’t know me?” Seeing the confused look of the young man before her, Hu Yaoyao was perplexed. She walked up to him, and with an entrancing smile, she asked, “What’s your name?”

“Me?” For some reason, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before replying earnestly, “I am Xuanxuan!”

Chapter 765: Negotiations

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

“Pu!” Luo Qiqi nearly fainted on the spot.

However, with her sharp wits, she swiftly understood what kind of bizarre thoughts were in her teacher’s mind, and a helpless smile appeared on her face.

Her teacher was a person of great capability, but sometimes, his thoughts tended to be eccentric.

“Xuanxuan?” Hu Yaoyao asked, bewildered by the bizarre name she was hearing.

Fearing that the other party might misunderstand his intentions, Luo Qiqi quickly replied, “He is my apothecary teacher, Zhang Xuan!”

“Zhang Xuan? So, you are the freshman who wrecked the business of our student factions?” Hearing that familiar name, Hu Yaoyao suddenly recalled something, and a glint flashed across her eyes.

A chilling smile emerged on her flawless face as she examined the young man before her, determined to see what it was about him that dealt such a heavy blow to the finances of so many student factions at once.

Ever since the establishment of the Master Teacher Academy, there had never been a freshman who had caused such a huge uproar in the academy before, resulting in nearly all of the student factions incurring huge losses.

However, no matter how she looked at the young man before him, he had an honest face and an earnest gaze, completely unlike how the rumors made him out to be. She couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.

Hu Yaoyao turned to Luo Qiqi and asked, “You just said that… he is your apothecary teacher? What is going on?”

Just like her, Luo Qiqi was a reputable figure in the academy, famed for both her talent and beauty. In terms of prestige, the other party might be beneath her at the moment, but that was only due to her young age.

She had no doubt that with sufficient time, Luo Qiqi would be able to surpass her.

Thus, she had been keeping tabs on this young lady since shortly after she enrolled at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy.

Yet, such an outstanding person actually said that Zhang Xuan was her apothecary teacher. This was particularly astonishing.

“Just like I have said, Zhang shi has been guiding me on pill forging,” Luo Qiqi replied shortly, choosing not to go into detail. “Since you know where the old residence of Elder Wu Yangzi is, can you tell us where it is? Once we confirm the location, I will compensate you with two Academic Credits.”

“I don’t want the two Academic Credits!” Since Luo Qiqi was unwilling to explain, Hu Yaoyao also chose not to probe into the relationship between her and Zhang Xuan.

“You don’t want them?” Luo Qiqi frowned.

The Succor Tower was basically like a market, a platform for students to liaise with one another and conduct trades. Since the other party had accepted the request, it could only mean that she had acknowledged the reward as well. If so, what did the other party mean by rejecting the reward?

Fiddling with her hair, Hu Yaoyao replied with a smile, “I can tell you where Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence is, but… you have to tell me the reason why you are willing to spend such a heavy price for the information.”

It had been two thousand years since Wu Yangzi had disappeared from the face of the world. There had been many people who had inherited his old residence in this period of time, so any treasure left there should have already been swiped clean by others.

Yet, Luo Qiqi was offering two Academic Credits to purchase information about his old residence. It was clear that she was up to something.

“Pardon me, but I can’t tell you that!” Luo Qiqi shook her head.

Wu Yangzi was the most famous blacksmith in the history of Hongyuan Empire, so there was no doubt that the treasures he had in his possession would surely be of exceptional value as well.

There might be a few who would attempt to do them harm out of greed if news regarding Wu Yangzi’s treasure was to be made known.

“Oh?”

Seeing that Luo Qiqi was unwilling to talk about it, Hu Yaoyao said, “If you refuse to say it… it only means to say that our deal is through, and I won’t be able to tell you where Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence is located. Let me just tell you this, I am the only one who knows where it is. Even if you were to search through all of the books in the academy, you won’t be able to find his old residence without my help!”

Luo Qiqi turned to Zhang Xuan, and upon seeing him shake his head, she said, “I see, but we will still have to turn down your offer if that is the case. We will manage it one way or another.”

Following which, she clasped her fist and bowed. “I apologize for wasting your time. We will be taking our leave now!”

After which, she left the gazebo together with Zhang Xuan.

They were determined to find Wu Yangzi’s treasure, but even so, they knew that they mustn’t let anyone else learn of it. Otherwise, not only would they be unable to obtain the treasure, their lives might even be threatened as well.

“Wait a moment…” Seeing that the other party would rather abandon the deal than speak of their goal, Hu Yaoyao’s lips curled up as she said, “Since you are unwilling to speak of it, allow me to change the conditions then!”

Luo Qiqi halted in her footsteps and turned around.

“You should have heard the news by now, right? Zhang Xuan has offended nearly all of the student factions in the academy, including mine. As long as you hand him over to me, I will show you to Wu Yangzi’s old residence!” Hu Yaoyao said.

“Hand him over to you?” Luo Qiqi frowned as her face darkened. “Hu Yaoyao, I respect you as a senior, but this is a grave humiliation. You want me to hand my teacher over to you?”

She had already introduced Zhang Xuan as her teacher, but the other party still demanded that she hand him over. This was no different from a direct slap to her face!

As the saying goes, ‘A day as one’s teacher, a life as one’s father!’ 1

If she couldn’t even protect her own teacher’s dignity, what remaining pride would she have?

Realizing the problem in her words, Hu Yaoyao swiftly apologized. “Ah… I apologize for my inappropriate remark. Even though Zhang Xuan is your teacher, he is a Grade-1 student of the academy as well… I ask of you to pardon my discourtesy.”

Teachers were highly respected in the Master Teacher Continent.

Heaven, Earth, Kin, Teacher, Sovereign. 2

Beneath the heaven and earth, the position of one’s teacher was even above that of one’s country.

It had been ingrained so deeply into her that Zhang Xuan was a Grade-1 student that she’d accidentally neglected the fact that he was Luo Qiqi’s teacher as well. To insult one’s teacher before one’s face was grossly disrespectful.

To display such blatant discourtesy for another’s teacher despite being a master teacher, her reputation would be sullied if this were to be made known to others.

After apologizing, she turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “Zhang shi, since you have come here with Luo Qiqi, you must be interested in locating where Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence is as well… As long as you agree to my conditions, I will tell you where it is. What do you think of it?”

Seeing that the other party had decided to turn her efforts to him instead, Zhang Xuan asked with an earnest smile, “What are your conditions?”

“It’s simple. You ruined our Bewitching Devil Faction’s opportunity to earn money, so it’s only right that you make up for it. As long as you join us and help us earn a hundred thousand middle-tier spirit stones within a year, I will tell you what you want,” Hu Yaoyao said with a smile.

“Bewitching Devil Faction?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback. “Is that your faction?”

There were many benefits to having a faction, so most of the top Grade-5 students would choose to create and manage their own factions. Zhang Xuan seemed to recall hearing something about the Bewitching Devil Faction before, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be related to the young lady before him.

Seeing the look of confusion on her teacher’s face, Luo Qiqi sent a telepathic message over to fill him in.

“Hu Yaoyao, her name carries the character ‘Yao’. At the same time, she possesses bewitching charm… As a result, her faction is also known as the Bewitching Devil Faction 3 !”

“That’s right, I am the leader of the Bewitching Devil Faction.” Seeing that the other party was ignorant of this, Hu Yaoyao was a little speechless.

To offend so many student factions despite not knowing who their leaders were, this fellow sure was impudent.

“I see.”

Coming a realization, Zhang Xuan nodded. Gazing at the seductive young lady whose voluptuous figure could easily hasten a man’s breathing, he said calmly, “I am not interested in joining any faction… As for earning a hundred thousand middle-tier spirit stones, I don’t even have that sum myself, so how could I possibly earn that for you? Choose another condition!”

He was the type of person who would never allow himself to be placed in a disadvantageous position, and yet the other party wanted him to pay? That was a good joke!

“Change another condition? Sure!” Hu Yaoyao stretched her back lazily, accentuating the beautiful curves on her body. “Serve as my servant for a year, and I will forgive you for crossing my Bewitching Devil Faction. At the same time, I can tell you where Wu Yangzi’s old residence is as well.”

“Servant?” Zhang Xuan was speechless. That lady was truly going further and further.

Shaking his head, he replied, “I wouldn’t even accept you as my maid, and you want me to be your servant? You sure have a vivid imagination…”

Zhang Xuan meant those words. In his opinion, the only thing that was commendable about the other party was her beauty, but even that paled far in the face of Luo Ruoxin.

He wouldn’t even be interested to have her serve as his servant, and yet she wanted him as her servant? Dream on!

Hearing the arrogant words from the young man before her, Hu Yaoyao’s face reddened in fury, and she snapped, “Then there’s no way our negotiation can go on… I wish you luck in your endeavor then!”

Born with both talent and beauty, she was a prideful person. She had always been respected and admired by others, and she’d thought that she was already doing the other party a favor by offering to take him in as her servant. Yet, that fellow turned her down so haughtily.

He would regret his decision.

After saying that piece, she turned around, and with a step, she soared into the distance.

Exerting her strength as a Transcendent Mortal 9-dan Chrysalis realm expert, she swiftly disappeared from the view of the duo.

In truth, the Bewitching Devil Faction was one of the larger student factions in the Master Teacher Academy. As its leader, she had no lack of Academic Credits or spirit stones.

The reason she wanted Zhang Xuan to join them or to serve as her servant was because he had embarrassed all of the seniors with his previous deed. If she could make him submit to her, her reputation would surely soar amidst the student populace.

However, that fellow didn’t know what was good for him.

Since the other party had already rejected her so bluntly, there was no room for negotiation.

After Hu Yaoyao left, Luo Qiqi turned to Zhang Xuan and said, “She is the leader of the Bewitching Devil Faction, and I heard that she spent a great deal of effort compiling the information in the Teacher Information Documentation. Yet, her effort ended up in vain, so it’s inevitable that she carries some hostility toward you… She was intentionally trying to humiliate you, so there is no need to take it to heart…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Zhang Xuan smiled. “But with this, we have reached an impasse. Alright, leave this to me. I will find a way to make her spit out the location of Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence obediently!”

“Leave it to you?” Luo Qiqi frowned. “Hu Yaoyao is an extremely prideful and cunning person. It won’t be easy to make her speak…”

In the past, there had been a handful of people who had attempted to do in Hu Yaoyao, and all of them had ended up paying a heavy price for their actions.

Even with her teacher’s capability, it wouldn’t be easy for him to make Hu Yaoyao reveal the location of Elder Wu Yangzi’s old residence.

“Don’t worry, wait for me at my residence in the Elite Sector. I will be back very soon!” Zhang Xuan instructed with a smile before he activated the Eye of Insight and followed Hu Yaoyao’s trail.

In any case, he was already in a hostile relationship with the Bewitching Devil Faction. There was no way he could mend the relationship anymore, so perhaps he could attempt another method instead.

“Teacher…” Seeing Zhang Xuan pursue Hu Yaoyao, Luo Qiqi froze for a moment before yelling, “Senior Yaoyao is a student of the Terpsichore School… She specializes in soul attacks, so you must be careful!”

However, Zhang Xuan’s figure had already disappeared amidst the night sky. Perhaps, he hadn’t heard her words at all.